Having never used any of the cake mixes currently on the market, I was eager to try out and test Artisan's Choice - Chocolate - Extra Moist Muffin Mix to see how it faired with bakes I normally make from scratch. I was sent this item for a fair and honest review so let's start putting it through its paces. Here goes...
The label states that you will need the following additional ingredients:
1 Weigh out the required amount of Muffin Mix like so. (I used 500 grams). And pour it into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer.
2 Then weigh out the water. (I used 250 grams).
3 Pour this into the mixing bowl.
4 Now weigh the vegetable oil. (200 grams).
5 Add to the mixing bowl.
6 Add the beater attachment to your mixer and lower it into the mix.
7 Place the mixer dial on Speed 2.
8 The instructions say to mix for 3-4 minutes. I mixed for 3 and a half minutes.
9 Now scrape the bowl down.
10 I then added approximately 75 grams of chocolate chunks to the mix. (I say approximately because I used roughly three-quarters of a 100-gram bag).
11 I then mixed the chunks on Speed 1 for about 30 seconds until they were combined and then removed the bowl from the mixer.
12 The instructions say scale at 120 grams into Muffin Cases which I did for a few of them.
13 However, due to the amount of mixture that was in the case, I then decided to use two level ice cream scoops in a few of the others, which worked out to about 100 grams per case.
14 I then placed the muffins on the middle shelf of my fan assisted oven and set them to bake at 190°C for 30 minutes. However, after 27 and a half minutes, I removed them because the tops were starting to catch slightly and I smelled burning chocolate coming from the oven.
As the baking instructions listed on the packaging are a guide only, I wanted to ensure that the muffins were baked thoroughly and fairly; therefore, I made another 500-gram mix batch and baked them at a slightly lower temperature and again made some at 120 grams and others in two level ice cream scoops per case. These are my findings.
With a light sponge interior.
They rise differently in each case, so the size and shape of the muffins vary.
Yes, I would recommend this product.
Packaging
This Extra Moist Muffin Mix is in a plastic bag that is easy to wipe down on the exterior, albeit the packaging is quite large for the amount of product that's in it. However, I think they use the same bags for various other products, hence why the bag was on the large side.Labelling
The label displays all the relevant information required, such as:- Ingredients
- Allergy Advice
- Storage
- Item Code
- Weight
Allergy Advice
These are clearly visible and shown in bold on the label. The mix contains:- Wheat
- Egg
- Milk
Shelf Life
This product has a minimum 3-6 month shelf life; however, this may extend depending on when the product was manufactured and transported.Storage
Once opened, re-seal the bag with a food clip and store it in a cool, dry place.Instructions Guide/Additional Ingredients
Next to the ingredients and allergy information, you will find the 'Method' advising the quantities of additional ingredients required to mix with 1000 Grams or 1Kg of the Muffin Mix.The label states that you will need the following additional ingredients:
- 500 Grams Water
- 400 Grams Vegetable Oil
- 150 Grams of Chocolate Chips
How many muffins will it make?
This will depend on how much mixture you use and how much weight you put in the cases. However, as a rough guide, see below.- For a 500 gram mix, which I used by halving the additional quantities above, you will get approximately 9-10 muffins from the batch depending on how much mixture you put in each case.
- For a 1000 gram mix, you would get an approximate batch of maybe 18-21 depending on size/weight.
Weight/Contents
The weight of this bag is 2.5kg and contains the Chocolate Extra Moist Muffin Mix. The bag is plastic both inside and out and smells like hot chocolate powder when you open it.Stand Mixer
You will need a stand mixer to use this product.How do I make the Muffins?
To make the muffins, you will need to do the following. (I used half the amounts of the specified ingredients on the front of the packaging).1 Weigh out the required amount of Muffin Mix like so. (I used 500 grams). And pour it into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer.
2 Then weigh out the water. (I used 250 grams).
3 Pour this into the mixing bowl.
4 Now weigh the vegetable oil. (200 grams).
5 Add to the mixing bowl.
6 Add the beater attachment to your mixer and lower it into the mix.
7 Place the mixer dial on Speed 2.
8 The instructions say to mix for 3-4 minutes. I mixed for 3 and a half minutes.
9 Now scrape the bowl down.
10 I then added approximately 75 grams of chocolate chunks to the mix. (I say approximately because I used roughly three-quarters of a 100-gram bag).
11 I then mixed the chunks on Speed 1 for about 30 seconds until they were combined and then removed the bowl from the mixer.
12 The instructions say scale at 120 grams into Muffin Cases which I did for a few of them.
13 However, due to the amount of mixture that was in the case, I then decided to use two level ice cream scoops in a few of the others, which worked out to about 100 grams per case.
14 I then placed the muffins on the middle shelf of my fan assisted oven and set them to bake at 190°C for 30 minutes. However, after 27 and a half minutes, I removed them because the tops were starting to catch slightly and I smelled burning chocolate coming from the oven.
As the baking instructions listed on the packaging are a guide only, I wanted to ensure that the muffins were baked thoroughly and fairly; therefore, I made another 500-gram mix batch and baked them at a slightly lower temperature and again made some at 120 grams and others in two level ice cream scoops per case. These are my findings.
Baking Times/Weights and Temperatures
Baking at 180°C- I baked the two-scoop muffin cases for 30 minutes.
- And the ones with 120 Grams for 34 minutes.
- These were baked in the middle of the oven and rose fine.
- I baked all the muffins for 27.5 minutes until they started catching.
- These were baked in the middle of the oven.
- If I were to make the batch again, I would use two scoops per muffin case and bake at 190°C for approximately 25 minutes.
Chocolate Muffin - Inside the Bake
Slightly hardened exterior.With a light sponge interior.
Chocolate Chips/Chunks & Hand Sliced Chocolate
I used both milk chocolate chunks and chopped up a 70% dark chocolate bar for each separate batch of muffins.- The chocolate chunks are fine, but some of them have disappeared a little in the muffin. So maybe add more to the batch.
- Don't use hand-chopped 70% dark chocolate in the batter. Because of the chunks' size, it didn't work great in the muffin and the chunks that melted on the top look like burned bits when they're not.
- For best results, I would use chocolate chips as stated on the packaging.
Size & Shapes
This is the size of the two scoop and 120-gram muffin side by side. You can see there isn't that much between them.They rise differently in each case, so the size and shape of the muffins vary.
Overall
So after making two batches of these Chocolate Extra Moist Muffins, I have found them to be exactly that chocolatey and moist. The instructions are easy to apportion, the mix is relatively quick and easy to use, and the aroma they give off will be in your kitchen for days. Not only do they smell divine, but they taste delicious too.Yes, I would recommend this product.
BFP
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